One of the best things about the Baeble NEXT sessions is the opportunity to see artists strip their songs back to just the bare bones. But indie duo Haerts' new album already is pretty skeletal. "It was very important to us to write the songs in a really simple way," said Nini Fabi, who lends her angelic voice to the band. Ever the experts at simplifying, Haerts still managed to find some elements to ditch, and with just two guitars, an electric bass, and Nini's voice, they constructed beautifully balanced songs.

The straightforward conception of the songs was essential to Haerts' creative process as they tried to make an album that was an honest representation of themselves. "We had to go back and reconnect with our musical identity in many ways, and just sort of, you know, cut out all the noise and refocus. And that can be really hard sometimes when there's a lot of noise around you," dished keyboarder and guitarist Ben Gerbert.

Haerts started the set with an emotional rendition of "Your Love," before performing their new single "New Compassion," and finishing up with the more wistful track "In This Time." Each song seems as if it comes from some dreamlike version of the past, the rock infused melodies mixing with acoustics to create an achingly nostalgic aura. It's a universal sort of emotion. And that, mixed with love-song lyrics that are immediately relatable, make for a performance that feels unifying and complete.

Transcript

we're Haerts," and I say...or I say that. Baeble Music. - I say, "Hey, we're Haerts." ringers off? - Nope. - Oh, yeah, that happened last time. And I was thinking, "Whose phone is that?" It was mine. Running like a fire Burning in the wind You say you'll take me high Higher than I've been It was a feeling I never wanna leave in But it couldn't turn into your way Holding on you anyway I'm trying stop the heartache Try to stay awake It was a feeling I never wanna leave in I don't want your love If you can breathe without it I don't want your love If you don't dream about it Don't wanna be the one No, I won't be the one If you don't want me to I don't know the way The way that you feel about me I don't wanna stay If you can be free without me Don't wanna give it all Don't wanna give it all If you can't give it back No, I never was a dreamer Never wanted to pretend When the night comes I still feel you In my dreams you never end And I want you to be with me And I want you to be free And I want you to remember That I don't want you to fall, fall I don't want your love If you can breathe without it I don't want your love If you don't dream about it Don't wanna be the one No, I won't be the one If you don't want me to I don't know the way The way that you feel about me I don't wanna stay If you can be free without me Don't wanna give it all Don't wanna give it all I don't want your love If you can fight it If you can't give it all Just try it I don't want your love If you can breathe without it I don't want your love If you don't dream about it Don't wanna give it all Don't wanna give it all If you can't give it back I don't want your love If you can breathe without it I don't want your love If you don't dream about it Don't wanna give it all Don't wanna give it all If you can't give it back I don't know, I don't know, no Oh why you're falling down I don't know, I don't know, no Oh why you're falling down I don't know, I don't know, no Oh why you're falling down - Time will tell, you know, it's been very recent that "Your Love" was in 13 Reasons Why. And I think it definitely opened... it opened the song to more listeners. Probably in our case, younger listeners as well because I think when you look at our show, it's...I think it's been more people in our age that come out to our show, that we were speaking to. And now I think there's definitely a younger group of people that get to hear it, and... This summer, we'll definitely have another single coming out. We're prepared for the album release, which is going to be coming out in the fall. I think mainly for us, you know, now we've been inside, not isolated, but I think it was definitely a solitary place where we wrote the album and now it's a bit of, you know, coming back out into the world. So I think for us it's that process now having the band join us. We're now playing with people that we've always wanted to play with. People that...some of them we've known for over 10 years, so it's a really good experience for us to bring everyone in and really focus on that for right now. Focus on the show. Don't wanna give it all Don't wanna give it all If you can't give it back New compassion New compassion New compassion New compassion I hear the days of heaven they are over Well at least the heaven that you recall When I'm reaching deep down into my senses I don't know if there was heaven after all New compassion New compassion I feel that there's a change in your attention When you say that we're the fire and the rain But I wanted to believe in our connection Cause there's one thing that I know we want the same New compassion New compassion New compassion Yeah there's something cause I know you feel the pain And it's easy to be fearful when you're ordered When you try to fight the shadows on the way But the clouds above are heavier now sister One day I know we'll see the sun again New compassion New compassion New compassion New compassion New compassion New compassion New compassion New compassion - We had to kind of go back and reconnect with our musical identity in many ways and just sort of, you know, cut out all the noise and refocus. And that can be really hard sometimes when there's a lot of noise around you. ...compassion I hear the days of heaven they are over - I think especially this material because we really came from a way of making music that was very simple. I think when we first started playing music together, I think there was something when we played together that was different and something for the two of us that we couldn't achieve alone. And so, when we started making the new record, we wanted to go back to that, and we wanted...it was very important to us to write the songs in a really simple way with Benny playing piano, you know, or us having a guitar idea and then just singing it together and just spending a lot of time doing that. So for us, playing them stripped down in this way feels very natural because we kept coming back and saying, "How can we do it more simple?" Same thing with the lyrical content. It was very important not to write anything that was too vague. It had to become, to us, at least at the moment, it had to be very clear. Tell me now Tell me now You got what you wanted Tell me now You where you wanna be Tell me now Tell me now You knew love's easy Tell me now That it soon makes you free Some things wake you in the morning Some things make you wanna die Baby, nothing lasts forever Even if you want it In this time Tell me now Tell me now Why you still change it Tell me now Tell me now What's your game Tell me now Why everybody has to love you Tell me now Why nothing stays the same Some things wake you in the morning Now they make you wanna die Baby, nothing lasts forever Even if you want it In this time La da la da la da da da La da la da la da da da La da da da da la da da La da da Some things wake you in the morning Now they make you wanna die Baby, nothing lasts forever Even if you want it My baby, nothing lasts forever Even if you want it My baby, nothing lasts forever Even if you want it In this time In this time - We wanted to make something that could communicate something that connects with people. And, of course, we do want to make a song that is loved by many people, because what we put in the world is something that we love and that we believe in. - And you're saying, "Have you done it yet?" - I don't know because I think that we had that conversation and we said, "If you don't believe in the devil, you should try to pray." And it's the same thing a little bit with writing, you know, with writing a lyric, writing a poem or something. If you start writing it, you start having a thought, but then all these other things start coming in, and at the end, the song might be about something completely different.

Artist Bio

The lifelong musical and personal partnership that is the band HAERTS consists of Nini Fabi (voice, production) and Benny Gebert (piano, guitar, production) and a bevy of other talented musicians that expands up to a searing six piece for live performances. Having completed a transformational period, the band have partnered with the extremely well respected Arts & Crafts Records (Broken Social Scene, Overcoats, Liza Ann, Feist) for the release of new music in 2018.

Forming originally in their hometown of Munich Germany, the duo moved to the creative cauldron of Brooklyn, NY in 2010 to pursue their shared musical vision.

Finding success almost immediately with their first singles and the EP Hemiplegia in 2013 then band then released their self-titled major label debut album HAERTS in 2014 to wide critical acclaim.

The band received glowing praise from multiple press outlets including the New York Times, Consequence of Sound, The Line of Best Fit, Paste Magazine, Billboard, Noisey, Baeble, Yours Truly, the Independent and others as well as featured coverage from NPR world caf, KEXP, Sirius XMU and performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers. The band also toured extensively including featured festival slots at Coachella, Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Shaky Knees, Bunbury and many others.

Now, after having retreated in the Hudson Valley, HAERTS are back with their best music yet, new shows and large commercial synchs including their new anthem Your Love, which is included in the official soundtrack for season 2 of the massive worldwide Netflix phenomenon 13 Reasons Why out May 18th.

The album is us. Its our past three years. Its about heartbreak, solitude, and transformation. But at the core its about love, its power, vulnerability and infinity. We started writing it in time that felt very heavy to us, but then there was a creative impulse and it became a way of communicating something that we could only communicate through music. - Nini

In addition to Your Love being released May 18th as part of the 13 Reasons Why official soundtrack, HAERTS will also release the song New Compassion via Arts & Crafts Records on May 25th. HAERTS play Torontos Field Trip Festival on June 3rd and Babys All Right in Brooklyn on June 7th with more headline shows to be announced soon.